Physician Builder Spotlight: Kinan Muhammed

We’re shining light on MD-entrepreneurs! Each week, we feature an entrepreneurial doctor who’s building a cool product, company, or working on a big idea that you definitely want to know about. This week, meet Kinan Muhammad, founder of Neu Health (more on the company’s mission below!). You can connect further with Kinan on LinkedIn.

1. Kinan, what inspired you to become a physician entrepreneur? I have always had an entrepreneurial approach to the work I do. The frustration of seeing strong academic clinical research not translating into actual clinical care only strengthened that way of thinking. As a neurologist, I watched patients with neurodegenerative conditions decline overtime, with very little innovation in the space. I wanted to bridge that gap and turn academic and clinical evidence into action.

2. Tell us what your company does and what problem you're trying to solve. Neu Health is a digital health platform designed to transform how we monitor and manage conditions like Parkinson’s and dementia. Right now, care is reactive – based on brief clinic visits and incomplete subjective snapshots of a patient’s symptoms. We’re changing that by developing software that utilizes the sensors on patients’ own smartphones to objectively track signs and symptoms in the real world. We developed machine learning models developed from over a decade of research from Oxford University to help optimize the management of patients. We’ve now demonstrated improvements in outcomes for patients and efficiency savings for healthcare providers.

3. What's your advice to anyone who's thinking about entrepreneurship or a nontraditional career in medicine? Don’t wait for permission or worry about failure. Medicine trains us to follow structure, but entrepreneurship thrives on curiosity and courage. If you see a problem that keeps bothering you, chances are you’re meant to solve it. You also don’t have to give up your clinical identity to innovate. In fact, being a doctor gives you unique insight into what really matters. My advice is to start small, stay close to the problem, and surround yourself with people who challenge and support you. The most meaningful change often happens outside the traditional path.

4. How can a physician get over the "start" problem and overcome their biggest fear to start a company/organization? The hardest part is often giving yourself permission to try. Physicians are programmed to follow clear pathways – but building something new is messy by nature. You overcome that fear by just starting. You don’t need a perfect plan, you need consistency and perseverance. I’d also suggest finding a like-minded co-founder who complements your skillset, as that will help in the long run. Your biggest fear should be the regret of not trying and or taking the leap in the first place.

5. What's the #1 lesson you've learned since building your company that wasn't obvious to you before? Firstly, it’s to trust your gut! Medicine is often evidence-based, but in the startup world you may not always have the evidence to make fully informed decisions. I learned quickly that intuition can often fill that gap. Secondly, building a great product isn’t enough, you have to build the right team and culture around it. In a startup, collaboration is everything. You need people who challenge your thinking, bring different strengths, and believe in the mission just as much as you do. It’s not just about what you build, it’s about who you build it with and the problems it solves.

6. Name the top resources you found most helpful to get going that others would benefit from? Any program that gets you exposure to likeminded individuals. If you surround yourself with the right voices, you will be inspired and motivated to move forward. In the UK, specifically: 1. The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme provided me with a good network of entrepreneurial clinicians that helped me see there is a place for those who think outside the box and in innovative ways. 2. The Academy of Medical Sciences programme for Future leaders in Innovation, Enterprise and Research also connected me with the brightest academic and clinical minds in the UK, which I was incredibly fortunate to learn a lot from. 3. Finally, talking to patients and caregivers, nothing helped more than just listening. Every insight, every frustration they shared shaped my approach, so I’d highly recommend listening to the people you are building innovation for.

7. How can other physicians support you? Are you open to connection/investment/user feedback, etc? Let others know how to get in touch. I’d love to connect with other neurologists and healthcare providers in the U.S. who work with Parkinson’s and dementia patients. We’re currently expanding access to Neu Health in the U.S. following our recent FDA approval and are looking for clinical teams interested in trying out our technology and exploring research or clinical partnerships. So if people are interested, it would be great to hear from you. You can get in touch via LinkedIn or our website here: https://neu.health.

Connect with Kinan on LinkedIn and learn more about his company here.